When not a long time ago together with our colleagues from European Academy of Family Medicine Teachers (EURACT) we launched EUSIT Project (European Support to Ukrainian GPs and GP trainees), nobody believed that 2024 InterFamily would be able to organize and run the first in Ukraine LEONARDO Courses for teachers in Family Medicine and Virtual Simulation Training within the international DIGI4Care Project in which InterFamily is an active participant. To say it was good is an understatement. It was a success!
The Leonardo courses were developed by the EURACT and named after the legendary Leonardo da Vinci. The courses are divided into 3 levels. Due to the brand context, this course has been successfully conducted for many years in many European countries for mentors, trainers, and teachers of FM from many countries.
For the first time, on 6th-8th of June 2024, this unique chance was available in Ukraine. This was an opportunity, first of all, to exchange experience between colleagues from Ukraine and Europe within DIGI4 Care Project, to show the opportunities of digital technology in medical education, to inspire and get inspired with new knowledge and experiences, to forget about the sadness of today's Ukrainian realities for a few days and to enjoy the hospitality of ancient Uzhhorod (Ukraine)
The success of the 1st LEONARDO Course in Ukraine was due to:
1) the key stakeholders mapping methodology which helped to select the critical actors in the formation of the DIGI4CARE project deliverables,
2) the collaboration of powerful stakeholders of different types:
- (Academy) 5 experts – faculty trainers of EURACT ( European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine)
- (Academy) 32 teachers of family medicine at 10 universities in Ukraine
- (Civil society / organization) Corvallis Sister Cities Association, USA-Ukraine ( Mark Rampton) constantly providing advanced innovations and digital technologies in healthcare to “InterFamily”
- (Industry) VCE (UK), virtual medical placement devices
- (Industry) CAE (Canada) wireless medical simulation mannequin, (Maxim Werle-trainer (Germany), Hildebrand Celia (USA) –donor
The course consisted of six 3-hour modules delivered during three days of educational and training events including master class workshops in digital technologies in medical education provided by trainers of the InterFamily’s Simulation Training Center.
The Virtual Simulation Training consisted of four 1-hour modules delivered in one day: 1) Digital Simulation Training, 2) Digital Virtual Clinical Training, 3) POCUS (Point of Care in Ultrasound Diagnostics), 4) Simulation and Rehabilitation Training. The lectures and training instead of traditional presentations were delivered interactively in small groups. Each participant had access to study materials and digital tools in each module. It happened that not every European country represented at The Virtual Simulation Training in Uzhhorod has such advanced digital technologies like Virtual Clinical devices (smart glasses), simulator mannequins for military field medicine, for treating therapeutic disorders and for treating pediatric disorders.
The total number of the participants (mainly teachers of family medicine) was 36 including 5 EURACT top speakers.
5 top EURACT speakers of the event (left to right): Pavlo Kolesnyk, Johanna Sommer, Ruth Kalda, Arabelle Rieder, Jachym Bednar
The best of the best top speakers
The Leonardo EURACT Level 1 course is designed for those who wish to teach family medicine, or already have some experience in this field. Its main goal is to improve the individual level in teaching family medicine in European countries, ensuring dissemination of knowledge and skills of the course participants in their countries and cities.
Top EURACT speakers from Switzerland, Check Republic and Estonia and Ukraine , national representatives of EURACT council conducted the workshops:
Arabelle Rieder, Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Geneva in Family Medicine at the University of Geneva, National Coordinator of Switzerland of the European Academy of Family Medicine, family doctor, Switzerland.
Johanna Sommer, family doctor, associate professor of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Jachym Bednar, Assistant (BME in Institute of General Practice, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, lecturer of ST at the Department of General Practice at the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education, doctor of General Practice, representative of Euract of the Czech Republic.
Ruth Kalda, professor at the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Estonia, National Coordinator of Estonia in the European Academy of Family Medicine Teacher, family doctor, Estonia
Four speakers from Ukraine were represented by:
Pavlo Kolesnyk, Associate Professor of the Department of Family of Family Medicine at Uzhhorod National University, national coordinator of Ukraine in the European Academy of Teachers of Family Medicine, family doctor.
Shushman Ivanna, Associate Professor of the Department of Internal Medicine, Uzhhorod National University, family doctor.
Oksana Ilkov, Assistant Professor of the Department of Family Medicine of Uzhhorod National University, family doctor.
Manzulych Helena, Assistant Professor of the Department of Family Medicine of Uzhhorod National University, family doctor.
WONCA Tree
During the Course and Training the following topics were elaborated:
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How to be a good trainer to foster the uptake of innovation and digital technologies in healthcare provision through transnational collaboration
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Methods of teaching and getting feedback to raise awareness about the available digital technologies in healthcare.
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Basic education and assessment theory
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Learning styles and personal learning plans in assessing bottlenecks & identifying good practices
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Teaching through role-playing
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Preparing for practice and developing curriculum to elaborate training, capacity-building, and sensitization of materials to be organized for Healthcare professionals during the period of the project.
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Additional activity developed by the trainers of the Simulation Training Center: Use of Digital Technology in Primary Medical Education: cyborgs, virtual clinical placements and, POCUS master trainings
Follow-up activities
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Leonardo 1 has been organized in the format of interactive lectures and trainings followed by breakout rooms where discussions have been conducted by the experienced facilitators in small groups.
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The course was organized in English with partial translation. The results of the group discussions were presented by the groups representatives.
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The course structure, decisions and ideas of the stakeholders are going to be disseminated in the Family Medicine Journal of Ukraine, the website of InterFamily Clinic and the Platform of Medical Education of InterFamily. The presented methods are going to be used by the course participants in their future teaching practice.
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The collaborative study in a virtual clinical environment will be organized among 5 departments of family medicine of different universities of Ukraine
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Starting in September 2024 the curriculum of FM Department of Uzhgorod University is going to be changed in accordance with the implementation of the new teaching methodologies.
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Interactive teaching courses of this type are to be provided at the Simulation Training Center of InterFamily as optional training.
The next course Leonardo 1 is going to be conducted in 2025 and we hope to invite all participants of DIGI4Care Project and other experts who back us.
Dr. Pavlo Kolesnik